Career and Education Opportunities for Restaurant Chefs in Richardson, Texas

Restaurant chefs can find many career and educational opportunities in the Richardson, Texas area. There are currently 67,060 working restaurant chefs in Texas; this should grow by 34% to about 90,120 working restaurant chefs in the state by 2016. This is better than the national trend for restaurant chefs, which sees this job pool growing by about 7.7% over the next eight years. Restaurant chefs generally prepare, season, and cook soups, meats, or other foodstuffs in restaurants.

Income for restaurant chefs is about $9 hourly or $18,750 annually on average in Texas. Nationally, their income is about $10 hourly or $21,990 annually. Incomes for restaurant chefs are not quite as good as in the overall category of Cooking in Texas, and not quite as good as the overall Cooking category nationally. Jobs in this field include: pastry baker, sous chef, and fry cook.

There are seventy-seven schools of higher education in the Richardson area, including five within twenty-five miles of Richardson where you can get a degree to start your career as a restaurant chef. The most common level of education for restaurant chefs is a high school diploma or GED. You can expect to spend only a short time training to become a restaurant chef if you already have a high school diploma.

CAREER DESCRIPTION: Restaurant Chef

Restaurant Chef video from the State of New Jersey Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development

In general, restaurant chefs prepare, season, and cook soups, meats, or other foodstuffs in restaurants. They also may order supplies, keep records and accounts, price items on menu, or plan menu.

Restaurant chefs turn or stir foods to insure even cooking. They also season and cook food in line with recipes or personal judgment and experience. Equally important, restaurant chefs have to portion and garnish food, and serve food to waiters or customers. They are often called upon to observe and test foods to establish if they have been cooked sufficiently, using methods such as tasting or piercing them with utensils. They are expected to weigh and mix ingredients in line with recipes or personal judgment, using various kitchen utensils and equipment. Finally, restaurant chefs bake and steam meats, fish and other foods.

Every day, restaurant chefs are expected to be able to split focus between different tasks. They need to prioritize information for further consideration. It is also important that they articulate ideas and problems.

It is important for restaurant chefs to carve and trim meats such as beef and lamb for hot or cold service, or for sandwiches. They are often called upon to estimate expected food consumption, requisition or purchase supplies, or procure food from storage. They also direct and supervise work of kitchen staff. They are sometimes expected to confer with supervisory staff to develop menus, taking into consideration factors such as costs and special event needs. Somewhat less frequently, restaurant chefs are also expected to direct and supervise work of kitchen staff.

Restaurant chefs sometimes are asked to regulate temperature of ovens and roasters. They also have to be able to butcher and dress animals, fowl, or shellfish, or cut and bone meat before cooking And finally, they sometimes have to formulate and price menu items.

Like many other jobs, restaurant chefs must be reliable and be thorough and dependable.

Similar jobs with educational opportunities in Richardson include:

Chef. Direct the preparation, seasoning, and cooking of salads, soups, or other foods. May plan and price menu items, order supplies, and keep records and accounts. May participate in cooking.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Restaurant Chef Training

The Art Institute of Dallas - Dallas, TX

The Art Institute of Dallas, 8080 Park Lane #100, Dallas, TX 75231-5993. The Art Institute of Dallas is a small school located in Dallas, Texas. It is a private for-profit school with primarily 4-year or above programs. It has 1,891 students and an admission rate of 45%. The Art Institute of Dallas has a one to two year and an associate's degree program in Culinary Arts/Chef Training which graduated four and sixty-seven students respectively in 2008.

Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts-Dallas - Dallas, TX

Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts-Dallas, 11830 Webb Chapel Rd, Ste 1200, Dallas, TX 75234. Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts-Dallas is a small school located in Dallas, Texas. It is a private for-profit school with primarily 2-year programs and has 568 students. Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts-Dallas has an associate's degree program in Culinary Arts/Chef Training.

El Centro College - Dallas, TX

El Centro College, 801 Main, Dallas, TX 75202-3604. El Centro College is a medium sized college located in Dallas, Texas. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 8,114 students. El Centro College has a one to two year and an associate's degree program in Culinary Arts/Chef Training which graduated fourteen and eighteen students respectively in 2008.

Aims Academy - Carrollton, TX

Aims Academy, 1711 S. Interstate 35E, Carrollton, TX 75006. Aims Academy is a small school located in Carrollton, Texas. It is a private for-profit school with primarily less-than 2-year programs and has 100 students. Aims Academy has a one to two year program in Culinary Arts/Chef Training which graduated twenty-seven students in 2008.

Remington College-Dallas Campus - Garland, TX

Remington College-Dallas Campus, 1800 Eastgate Dr, Garland, TX 75041. Remington College-Dallas Campus is a small college located in Garland, Texas. It is a private for-profit school with primarily 2-year programs. It has 1,277 students and an admission rate of 75%. Remington College-Dallas Campus has an associate's degree program in Culinary Arts/Chef Training which graduated twenty students in 2008.

CERTIFICATIONS

Certified Culinarian:
An entry level culinarian professional within a commercial foodservice operation.

Quality Coffee Certification Program:
The purpose of QCCP is to provide operators with sales tools and knowledge that will help them begin or enhance their own quality coffee program for their customers.

LOCATION INFORMATION: Richardson, Texas

Richardson, Texas photo by Infrogmation

Richardson is situated in Dallas County, Texas. It has a population of over 101,589, which has grown by 10.7% over the last ten years. The cost of living index in Richardson, 92, is below the national average. New single-family homes in Richardson are priced at $210,000 on average, which is well above the state average. In 2008, sixty-eight new homes were constructed in Richardson, down from one hundred forty-eight the previous year.

The top three industries for women in Richardson are educational services, professional, scientific, and technical services, and health care. For men, it is professional, scientific, and technical services, computer and electronic products, and construction. The average travel time to work is about 24 minutes. More than 47.7% of Richardson residents have a bachelor's degree, which is higher than the state average. The percentage of residents with a graduate degree, 16.2%, is higher than the state average.

The unemployment rate in Richardson is 7.2%, which is less than Texas's average of 8.1%.

The percentage of Richardson residents that are affiliated with a religious congregation, 55.1%, is more than the national average but less than the state average. Heights Baptist Church, Richardson East Baptist Church and Richland Bible Fellowship Church are some of the churches located in Richardson. The most prominent religious groups are the Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention and the United Methodist Church.

Richardson is home to Canyon Creek Park and Berkner Park. Visitors to Richardson can choose from Comfort Inn, Best Western Dallas Telecom Area and Champ Restaurant Equipment Supplies for temporary stays in the area.